A True Hero
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: Evie, the daughter of a Master Assasin was snatched by the Templars as a baby and forced to live among mortals as a demi-god. Now, entering adulthood, she needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove herself worthy of living with the other Assassins.
1. Chapter 1

I write a lot of Evie and Jacob fics… I think the world needs a few more ?

Hercules AU anyone?

…..

The Assassin's Creed had been going on for as long as time itself according to most sources. Many people believed it was just some large family affair, the next generation replacing the old one as soon as they started to get a little too old.

The truth was far more mystical than that.

The truth was, that the main members of the Assassins were Gods… and they were welcoming two additions into the fold.

"Jacob!" Cecily, Goddess of Home and Hearth giggled merrily as her youngest, her son grabbed at her hair, the giggle sounding like musical windchimes in the breeze, "Behave yourself!"

Ethan, God of Fire and Metalworking, couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, his daughter in his own arms as he wriggled his fingers above her, chuckling as Evie practically crossed her eyes trying to focus on them.

"He's going to be like you… I just know it." He chuckled, nodding his head at Jacob as the baby continued to try and grab his mother's hair, "He's already got your smile."

Cecily giggled at this, cooing at her son and rocking him from side to side.

"Scusami! Attraversando! Scusami!"

At the familiar Italian accent, Ethan and Cecily turned as watched as Giovanni Auditore, God of Banking and Finances, headed towards them, his own son Ezio in his arms and a bouquet in the other.

Giovanni beamed at Cecily, handing her the bouquet, which she accepted gratefully. "Oh, they're lovely!"

"Eccellente! Maria will be thrilled to hear it!"

Maria, the Goddess of Spring, was Giovanni's wife and had been by his side through everything, bearing him two sons, with another child on the way.

Giovanni then turned his attention to Ethan, "You should be very proud Ethan, two healthy children, twins!"

As the pair were talking, Evie was examining her Father's wrist with interest, curious hands roaming over the Hidden Blade that was concealed under his dark coat.

"Ethan!" Cecily called out, an admonishing tone in her voice, "Don't you think you should have removed those before holding your daughter?"

Ethan chuckled, pulling his wrist away and activating it with a loud CLICK, beaming as Evie's eyes widened in amazement, "She might as well get used to it…. A little curiosity never hurt anyone."

"Hmmm, until she activates it and it goes in her eye."

"… I take your point my love." Without placing his daughter back in his cot, Ethan niftily removed the Hidden Blade device, letting it drop on a nearby table. Shifting Evie slightly, he then turned his attention to the rest of the guests.

"On behalf of Evie and Jacob, I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!" He gestured to a large pile of toys… and the teddy that Jacob was currently curiously playing with.

The crowd clapped, several of them cheering as Cecily weakly got to her feet and walked over to her husband. "Swap?"

Stunned, Ethan allowed Evie to be removed from his arms as Jacob was placed in them.

"Mind his head sweetie."

Jacob clearly wasn't too happy being handed over to someone who wasn't his mum, but he settled down quickly enough, his eyelids soon growing heavy and sliding shut.

"…. He's so tiny… how is he smaller than Evie?"

"He's not that much smaller dear." Cecily rocked Evie from side to side, watching as Ethan finally relaxed, heading over to the twin-sized cot and placing Jacob inside. "Sleep well my little Assassin."

"How sentimental…."

Now, if the Assassins were Gods, the Templars were… something else entirely.

One could call them monsters.

Creature of myth and legend that are included on stories to scare the children into behaving.

And Starrick was one of the worst.

Everyone turned to the entrance, Hidden Blades already being activated as the Templar Grandmaster strode into the room, a smirk on his face.

"You know, I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of caviar caught in my throat."

Silence.

Starrick seemed to love it, the smirk widening on his face, "Is this an audience or a stained-glass window?"

Uncaring of the tension in the room, Starrick strode further into the room, brushing past the guests like they were nothing to him.

Altair, Grandmaster of the Gods and Malik, his second-in command, rose to their feet and met Starrick in the middle, clearly unwilling to let him go any further.

"I don't recall you getting an invite." Malik scowled, ignoring how his partner placed a calming hand on his back, "In fact, I know you didn't."

"Which is really very rude of you…" Starrick mock-pouted, "… it's so dark, a little gloomy and full of dead people where we reside… a party would lift our spirits." Without waiting for an answer, he brushed past them and suddenly appeared near the crib, "Aww…. How cute."

"Get away from my son!"

Starrick ignored Ethan, barely glancing at him or at Cecily and baby Evie, as he pulled a spiked object from his pocket, "Here you go… for the little darling."

Just as Ethan went to grab the object, stopping Jacob from just grabbing it, Evie screamed…. Loudly.

It was almost a warning.

Jacob stopped at the cry, eyes wide in shock at his twin's scream.

Starrick also hesitated as well, and that was all that Ethan needed. With one swift movement, he disarmed the Templar and forced him to the ground, throwing the spiked object to one side as the Assassin Guards moved in.

"Malik is correct…" Grandmaster Altair stated calmly, as though the chaos of Starrick being arrested wasn't even happening, "… You were not invited. I think you should leave."

"He doesn't have a choice Grandmaster…" Ethan growled, watching as the guards escorted Starrick out, "… I'd advise you to stay out Starrick… for your own good."

Starrick sneered, not even struggling as he was thrown out of the door.

To some, his silence may have been seen as a sign of surrender.

The Assassins, however, knew better.

…..

They were right to be concerned…. Because if there's one Templar you don't want to get steamed up, it's Starrick, because he had an evil plan.

As soon as he arrived back at his private mansion, he strode into the hallway and bellowed up the stairs.

"LUCY!"

His second-in-command emerged from the top of the staircase and smirked down at him, her red hair tied up in a neat bun. "Coming your most lugubriousness…" she teased, slowly making her way downstairs."

"ROTH!"

Roth emerged not long after, wearing his usual smart clothing, the deep scar standing out on his narrow, rat-like face. "You sound angry Starrick, the party not go as planned?" He went to stand by Lucy's side at the bottom of the stairs.

Starrick growled at the other man, "Enough Roth… tell me the instant that the Borgia's arrive."

The Borgias's were the so-called 'mystics' of the Templar organisation, made up of Rodrigo, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, a father and his two children. They had a… special relationship with one another.

"They're already here."

Starrick spun around and growled at Lucy, who was completely unphased. "They're here… and you didn't tell me as soon as I walked through the door?!"

"You never asked."

Roth nodded in agreement, smirking as Starrick's fists clenched in anger.

"Memo to me…" the Grandmaster growled, "… maim you after my meeting."

"You can try Crawford. You can try."

Starrick turned away from them, muttering angrily under his breath as he stormed out of the room and headed towards his study, where he knew the Borgia's would be waiting.

"Pull that string nice and tight Cesare…" He heard Lucrezia croon, "… hold that mortal's thread of life in those strong hands."

Like he said… it was a really weird relationship.

With a snip of the scissors, the thread was cut, and a scream echoed throughout the room.

"Incoming!" Rodrigo announced as a ghostly figure flew through the entrance, heading straight for the Underworld as the soul count went up by one.

The sound and sight was un-nerving, but Starrick was unbothered, making his way over to Borgia's.

"My apologies…" he began, forcing cheer and politeness into his voice, "… Sorry, I'm- "

"- Late." Interrupted Rodrigo, a sly smirk on his face, "Yes, we knew you would be."

"We know everything." Cesare also seemed amused by the entire situation, "Past…"

"…. Present…."

"… And future!" finished Lucrezia, glancing over at Lucy and smirking as she scanned her from head to toe, prompting Starrick to roll his eyes.

"Hmmm, I know. Now, I was visiting the Assassins and- "

"- we know!"

Taking a deep breath, Starrick resisted the urge to growl. "I know, you know…" he then moved over to the war-table, "… so, here's what's happening…. Ethan Frye and his darling wife now have- "

"- a couple of bouncing baby brats! We know!"

"I KNOW, YOU KNOW!" Starrick snapped, before taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, "I know, I get it, I get the concept…. What I want to know it, are the terrible twins going to get in the way of the Templar plans?"

"Weeeell- "Lucrezia turned her attention to her Father and brother, and pouted, eyelashes fluttering charmingly.

"No Lucrezia." Rodrigo gave his daughter an indulgent smile, "We're not supposed to reveal the future."

Starrick paused for a brief moment, before turning his full attention on Lucrezia, knowing that she had her brother and father wrapped around her little finger. "Lucrezia, I've been meaning to ask you… have you done something different with your hair, because it looks even more stunning than usual. It looks like a fate worse than death."

Lucrezia giggled at the praise, smiling at Starrick even as her brother glared at him.

"He's right…" Roth agreed with Starrick, knowing what his Master was trying to do, "… you look absolutely stunning my dear."

Lucy winked at the younger woman, smirking as Lucrezia giggled even harder.

"You see, even my foolish attendants can see that…" Starrick stated, a soft smile on his face, "… Remember, my fate is in your hands. The fate of the Templars is in your hands."

The Borgia's all glanced at one another, before Rodrigo sighed and waved his hand in dismissal. "Fine… do what you want."

With his permission, his children's eyes started to glow a bright white, the area around them glowing as well.

"In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely…" Lucrezia began, her voice hollow and void of emotion.

Starrick resisted the urge to roll his eyes… why did everything have to be in verse?

"… the time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band…" Cesare continued, his voice very similar to his sister's.

Good… this was good.

"… then the once-proud Creed will finally fall, and you Starrick, will rule all!"

Starrick couldn't help but let out a hiss of delight at that, smirking in glee.

"But a word of caution to this tale..."

"… should the twins defy you, you will fail."

The Borgia's all cackled and vanished into thin air, the glow that surrounded the younger members disappearing, leaving the room in darkness.

"WHAT?!" Starrick bellowed, fists clenching in anger, before he quickly calmed down and took several deep breaths, "Okay… I'm fine."

He stormed over to the doors that led further into the Underworld, closely followed by Lucy and Roth.

"Lucy… Roth, I have a little riddle for you. How do you successfully kill an Assassin?"

Lucy shrugged, clearly not caring about the answer, as Roth spoke up. "You can't Starrick… they're basically immortal."

Ignoring the mocking tone in Roth's voice, Starrick opened up a tinted cabinet and pulled out two small vials of pink liquid and holding them up into the air, "Exactly… which means we need to turn the pair… mortal."

…..

Less than a month later, night was falling across the Creed Temple on Mount Olympus.

Jacob and Evie were cuddled up to once another, hands clutching at each other's bed clothes as they slept peacefully… unaware of the figures creeping into their room.

In the next room over, Ethan and Cecily were startled awake by a loud crash and the crying of children.

"My babies!" Cecily cried out instantly, a mother's instinct telling her something was wrong… this wasn't just a couple of hungry, protesting babies. She leapt out of bed and raced towards the twin's room, throwing open the door… only to fall back against Ethan, who had followed her in.

"No…" he whispered, when he realised why his wife had practically collapsed, "… NO!"

"Evie! Jacob!" Cecily sobbed, her eyes on the over-turned cradle and the torn blankets lying beside them, "Please, no!"

"NO!"

…..

Hearing the heart-broken cry shatter the night, Roth and Lucy quickened their pace, trying to muffle the crying babies.

"I can't believe Starrick made us do this…" Lucy grumbled, "… Who's going to get the blame if we get caught? Us! Starrick will drop us like yesterday's trash."

"Just shut up and run!"

The babies continued to cry as they slipped into a nearby alleyway, and they showed no sign of quietening down.

"Let's just get this over with…" Lucy exclaimed as Roth pulled the two vials out of his bag, shoving one of them into the mouth of the female, who struggled furiously.

"Hold her legs Lucy!"

"But I should dealing with the boy!"

"Just do it!"

Placing the male baby on the ground, Lucy held the girl's legs as Roth continued to feed her the potion.

"Come on…" he muttered as the girl started to gulp it down greedily, "… get it down, quickly now!"

The glow of the girl's skin started to fade with every drop that she drank, prompting Lucy to beam in excitement, "Can't we start on the boy now?"

"No, no, no! She has to drink it all! Every last drop!"

"Who's there?!"

Lucy panicked, grabbing the baby boy and racing off into the shadows as Roth dropped the girl and the vial onto the ground… missing how one drop hung onto the broken glass for a few moments, before it dropped to the ground, quickly absorbed by the dirt.

From the shadows, they watched as a couple emerged from around the corner, torches landing on the crying girl immediately.

"Oh, you poor thing!" the woman cooed, lifting the baby into her arms as her husband searched for anybody nearby.

In the shadows, Lucy glanced at Roth and raised an eyebrow, "Should we deal with them?"

"No."

"No?"

Roth gestured at the stunned baby in Lucy's arms, "We still need to deal with him… she's mortal, she's not going to be a threat anymore."

"She must have been abandoned." the man whispered, unaware of the conversation going on in the shadows.

"We prayed so much for a child… what if the God's have answered us?"

The man didn't respond, choosing to examine the little locket that was attached to the child's blanket, along with the familiar symbol on it, "Evie.."

They failed to notice how something moved further into the shadows… but they noticed Evie screaming as though someone had wrenched at her arm.

…

As soon as they were far enough away, Lucy started to rant and rave at her partner. "What exactly should we do now?!" she growled, "We can't just kill one brat and leave the other alive like that! Starrick would kill us when he finds out."

"You mean if he finds out."

When Lucy raised an eyebrow at Roth, he swiftly continued. "We'll tell him we killed the girl, and thought he'd like the son of an Assassin Master as his own personal slave…. How could he possible resist?"

"That's… genius Roth. You do surprise me sometimes."

"Your sarcasm wounds me."

…

It was tragic.

Ethan, Cecily and the other Assassins went on a frantic search for the new-born twins. They never found Jacob, and by the time they found Evie, it was too late.

She was mortal now.

However, since she didn't drink the last drop, she retained her God-Like strength and the inhuman reflexes gifted to all Assassins.

Cecily wept the night she was found, knowing that her daughter could never come home, knowing that she would have to watch her precious baby grow up from afar.

She almost died of a broken heart when her husband confessed that it was unlikely that they would ever find Jacob.

Even though the Templar's horrid plan took place before Evie's first tooth, the baby grew stronger every day.

Which wasn't always a good thing.


	2. Shadowed Temple

"Evie! Evie!"

Evie wasn't listening as she raced ahead of her father, horse on her shoulders as she reached the centre of the town.

Almost five minutes later, when the horse was back on the ground (looking a little shell-shocked by the entire experience), her father managed to catch up.

"You know…" he gasped, "… when I said we had to get the horse to the vets as soon as possible, I didn't mean like that!"

"It worked didn't it?"

"It's not what a lady is meant to do!"

When Evie just shrugged, her father rolled his eyes and took the horses reigns. "Stay here…" he ordered her, "… don't move, don't breathe, don't do anything."

"Really?"

"Do you really need a reminder as to what happened last time?"

Evie remained silent, her eyes darting to the floor as her Father walked away, leaving her alone on the streets.

She would have just stayed there…. Honest!

But at the frantic, panicked sounds coming from the local antique store, she knew she couldn't stay there for much longer.

Curiously peering into the shop, she spotted the shopkeeper struggling with a large vase, seconds away from falling and ruining everything in the store.

"Oh, here!" she exclaimed, rushing over and supporting the other side of the vase, "Let me help you with that!"

She heard the shopkeeper sigh happily in relief, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

As soon as he saw her, the shop-keeper visibly panicked. "I-it's you!" he exclaimed, before twisting around and wrenching the vase out of Evie's grasp, causing her to frown.

"Ummm…. Maybe I can help you?"

"No! No! I'm fine!"

"Are you sure, I mean- "

"- Yes! Completely fine! You can be on your way!"

"But- "

"- Now!"

With a very decisive nudge, Evie was pushed out of the shop, narrowly avoiding a group of society ladies, who glared at her.

Before any of them could scold her for her un-lady tendencies, she made a tactical retreat, speeding down the path before darting into an alleyway in order to catch her breath.

She couldn't make them understand that she had no desire to be one of them… she had no desire to be a lady. Married off to a husband she hated, with no rights or freedom to do as she pleased.

No thank you.

"Well, well, well…" she suddenly heard someone croon to her right, "… who do we have here?"

Turning to her right, Evie frowned at the sight of three… thugs making their way over to her, leering smirks on their faces.

"Why don't you bring your pretty self over here?"

"… Piss off."

The men stopped, stunned looks on their faces… but it soon vanished, and they started to surround her, backing her further into the alleyway.

"You don't want to do this." She hissed at them, her entire body tensing in preparation for a fight.

The men didn't seem to care… they just wanted to have a little bit of fun.

"I'm being serious…" Evie growled, straightening up in an attempt to seem larger, "… Don't. Do. This!"

They didn't listen.

As the leader of the little group reached forwards to grab her shoulder, she grabbed his wrist and bent it back as far as she could, listening to it crack and the scream of pain that followed.

"Now… Let. Me. Go!"

The other two didn't take the hint, stepping over their fallen comrade.

CRACK

"AAAAHHHH!"

One of the men clutched at his broken nose, glaring at Evie as she blew on her reddened knuckles.

"You were warned." She stated.

But the last remaining thug still didn't listen, instead choosing to leap at the young lady in an attempt to overpower her.

It was she was in a trance.

As the man tried to pin her to the ground, her hand scrabbled along the dirty ground, desperately trying to find something to defend herself with…. And her fingers found the piece of broken glass.

With a feral sounding growl, she grabbed the piece of glass and swung it towards the man's neck, not even flinching at the blood spurting out of the wound, staining the front of her dress.

When her senses finally came back to her, her eyes finally darted to the groaning pair on the ground… and the dying body next to them.

As the man chocked on his own blood, Evie could only think one thing.

Shit.

Desperately she glanced around, searching for a way out of the alley that didn't involve walking into the main streets, with blood over her face and dress.

There!

A little above her eye level, she spotted a window ledge. From there, it looked like it would be easy for her to make her way to the rooftops.

Knowing that she had very little time before someone came to investigate, Evie ripped her dress in order to make climbing easier, before leaping up and grabbing the ledge, pulling herself up and then quickly (much quicker than what she was expecting) making her way to the roof.

….

The police were at her home.

Her Dad had gone to find her, and when he found her ripped dress and the dead man in the alleyway, he'd contacted the police. The other two men, who'd managed to pull themselves to their feet and out of the alleyway, had also reported what had happened to the police, making out like they were innocent of course.

Everyone was looking for her… for the crazy girl who killed a man in cold blood.

It wasn't fair.

Sighing wearily to herself, she reached into her dress and pulled out her little locket. She'd had this for as long as she could remember… gold, with her name engraved on it, along with a familiar symbol.

The Assassins.

She knew she was adopted, and that the locket had been found on her… it was obvious where she'd come from, but she'd never quite mustered up the courage to investigate any further. The Assassins were feared, even by her, and the idea that she was a part of that group terrified her.

But after what she went through today, she knew she needed something… something that only the Assassins could help her with.

Control.

Knowing that there was an Assassin Temple not too far from the outer borders of the town, Evie made her decision and pushed herself to her feet, scanning the area to make sure the police were nowhere to be seen.

Once she felt like she was safe, she made her way back down to the streets, stealing a gorgeous hooded jacket from a nearby, distracted stall-keeper, wrapping it around her and pulling the hood over her head, casting her face in shadows.

Then she stole a horse.

She knew the police wouldn't be able to catch her.

She needed to know where she came from.

…..

The Temple was just as she expected…. Dark and possibly haunted.

Perfect.

"Okay…" she whispered, "… here I am."

Silence.

"I just want to know where I came from?" She spoke up again, "Who I really am… why I can do… the things that I can do."

Turning her attention to the walls of the Temple, she stared at the portraits that lined them. Stern looking man all wearing similar clothing, hooded white jackets where you couldn't see their eyes.

And then the room went completely dark, aside from the light above her.

"Evie…" a voice whispered from the darkness, "… my little girl."

Spinning around, Evie yelped as a figure emerged from the shadows, leaping at the man in an attempt to subdue him…. With no effect.

The figure just chuckled, fending her off easily, until she wore herself out.

"Not bad…" the man chuckled, "… A little rough in certain places, but there is skill there."

"W-who are you?!"

"Now… is that anyway to say hello to your Father."

As the man pulled his hood down, Evie felt her jaw drop slightly, "F-Father?"

"Is this really a surprise to you Evie?" The man asked, an amused smirk on his face, "To know that you have ties to the Creed?"

Evie was still in shock.

"Look how much you've grown…" the man scanned her from head to toe, "… You look so much like your mother, but with my eyes."

"Wait, wait…" Evie frowned, "… If you're my father, that would mean- "

"- You're the daughter of a Master Assassin. You have that potential within you."

"Oh. My. God." Evie leaned against the wall and slide down to the ground.

"You wanted answers, and by Altair's good grace, I know you are old enough to know the truth."

"So… why was I abandoned?" D-didn't you want me?" She really didn't want to know the answer, just in case it was the wrong one.

The man sighed wearily, moving to sit opposite his daughter, a frown on his face. "Of course we did… your mother and I loved you and your brother with all our hearts. But someone stole you from us, took you away from us and prevented us from taking you ba- "

"- Wait, wait, wait!" Evie frantically interrupted, "Brother?"

"… Jacob. He was your twin."

"A-and… you couldn't get us back?"

The man remained silent for a short time, before shaking his head. "The Creed can't do anything… but you can,"

"Really?" Evie couldn't deny it, she was excited, "What is it? I'll do anything!"

"If you can prove yourself to be a true hero, then you'll be allowed to join the Creed, taking your rightful place as an Assassin."

"An… assassin." Strangely enough, the idea wasn't completely repulsive to her.

"You should find Henry Green… he'll be able to teach you the basic skills. Help hone your talents."

"… And… where do I find him?"

The man smirked, before placing two fingers in his mouth, and whistling sharply.

Nothing happened.

"Ummmm, what's- "

"- Hi."

At the voice that was suddenly right next to her ear, Evie yelped and spun around, fist already darting towards the stranger's face before it was grabbed.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Four men, around her age, with strange glows surrounding them, were smirking at her. The one who had a scar on his upper lip, slowly let go of her wrist.

"Meet Ezio, Conner, Edward and Arno…"

One by one, the men raised their hands, indicating who her Father was referring to.

"… you would have been in the same class as them, if it weren't for… everything."

The men were clearly thrilled to see her. "We can't believe you're finally here!" Edward exclaimed, "Isn't this amazing? Conner owes me ten bucks, he said we'd never find you and- "He stopped, before wincing, "- alright, he owes me five bucks. Still a win."

The man turned away at this, an actual sign of distress. "Take her to Henry…" he eventually whispered, "… he'll help you Evie. They all will." He turned back to her and smiled gently "I have faith in you Evie. I know you'll make me proud."

"Y-yes…" Evie found herself straightening up at the words, "… T-thank you, I won't let you down, I swear!"

As she turned away to follow the others, she heard the man whisper one last thing.

"Good luck… my daughter."

However, when she turned to look at him once more, the Temple room was completely empty, and the light was starting to fade.

"Don't bother looking for him…" Ezio chuckled, a very obvious Italian accent in his voice, "… Your Dad one of the best at blending into the shadows and the crowds."

"But- "

"- Come on!" Edward interrupted, before she could voice her concerns, "Let's go! Off to Henry!"


	3. Jake

"Well… this is nice."

The group stared at the slightly decrepit antique store, wincing as one of the letters suddenly tilted to the side before falling to the floor.

"… Are you boys sure this is where Henry is?"

"Oui! Oui!" Arno exclaimed, "We're sure."

"Right then." Cautiously, she entered the store, edging her way past the piles of valuable items and the pots that were precariously balanced on desks and tables.

"Wow…" Edward glanced around and winced at the sight, "… I thought Henry was doing well with this sh- AH!"

The scream of alarm was caused by a knife suddenly embedding itself in the wall beside Edward's head.

"And here I thought you were the best of the best?" chuckled a voice from the shadows, as a dark-skinned, rather handsome man (in Evie's humble opinion) emerged, smirking at the small group, "You could have lost an eye then."

"Don't throw daggers at us then, you git." Edward grumbled, despite the small smile on his face, "Why are you lurking in the shadows like that anyway?"

"Master Frye informed me you would be arriving with a special guest… how could I resist the opportunity to test your abilities." Henry then frowned, "He didn't say who the special guest was though."

Evie knew this was her cue to step forwards, holding out her hand to Henry. "Evie Frye. Pleasure to meet you."

Stunned, Henry stared at her hand, before staring at her face. "W-what?"

"Evie… Evie Frye. Don't worry this is all a surprise to me as well." She shrugged, "Apparently I'm the daughter of a Master Assassins, and I was kidnapped as a baby, and it's your job to train me."

"Oh my…" Henry still looked shocked, "… W-what an honour."

"Honour?"

"Henry's not from one of the Council families…" Connor explained, "… you'd think that the Creed would be above status, but we're not. For your Father to choose him as a trainer, is a great honour."

It sounded ridiculous, but who was she to say anything… she didn't even know she was related to an assassin a few hours ago.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be perfect at the job." She eventually stated, smiling warmly at Henry in an attempt to reassure him.

"Thank you Miss Frye…" Henry bowed low, "… if you would follow me, and we can assess your abilities."

"Follow you wh- "

Evie stopped when she watched Henry press something on the wall, the antique bookshelf moving to one side to reveal a large room full of weapons, a fighting ring in the middle.

"Ezio, if you wouldn't mind sparing with Miss Frye? I need to assess how skilled she is in hand-to-hand combat."

Changing into some workout clothes that Henry gave her behind a screen, Evie clambered into the ring, taking deep breaths as Ezio smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on- Woah!"

Henry had given the signal, so Evie went on the attack, diving towards Ezio and kicking him against the side of the ring, jumping away when he tried to retaliate.

"Woah!" she heard Edward crow from outside of the ring, "Go girl!"

Much like in the alleyway, it was like her body was running on automatic. Every time Ezio went on the offensive, she had the perfect move to block it. She matched him in speed and in strength…. And the others couldn't believe it.

"Alright! Alright!" Henry called out an end to the match, eyes wide in shock as the two made their way over to him, "Miss Frye… where did you learn how to fight like that? Who trained you?"

"I-I wasn't trained…" she stammered, "… I just… know what to do."

Edward shrugged at this, "It'll make becoming a Master Assassin easier…. Now we'll only have to spend a few weeks here, instead of a few months."

"It was going to be a few months of training?!"

Ignoring Evie's exclamation, Henry clapped his hands together and sent her a shy smile. "Well… why don't we get started."

….

It was a rough start, no-one was going to deny that.

She wasn't very good at being stealthy.

("Nope, the target heard you and panicked… try again. And try to sound less like an elephant storming through the jungle next time."

"Hey!")

She did take naturally to the exercise routines.

("You seem… remarkably flexible Miss Frye."

"Good, potential wives must look good, be slim and trim… I like cake too much, so I had to exercise to keep my figure")

And then there were the exercises that were just plain rejected.

("No."

"I promise. An egg on a spoon, in your mouth as you go along a tightrope… the perfect way to work on balance."

"Shut up Edward")

And rescuing hostages was… an interesting experience.

("Nobody is this limp! Most have the sense to at least hold on!"

"They fainted… that's why you have to be careful!

"If they faint, they'll go over my shoulder, not in my arms!")

All the rules started to blur together.

("Rule number ninety-five! Concentr- AAAH!"

"I didn't hit them! I didn't hit them!"

"Rule number ninety-six! AIM!")

However, despite all this, Evie quickly managed to get the hang of everything, passing the final test with flying colours, after which, she received her uniform.

"It suits you." Arno beamed, "Do you really think you're ready for some missions? Training is very different to real life you know."

Evie was clearly unsure… but she nodded anyway and took a deep breath. "I'm ready…. I'm ready."

….

"Everything looks so different from the rooftops." Evie mused, staring down at the early morning foot traffic, "Are you sure that the panic since the… incident has been forgotten?"

The incident of course, referring to her episode in the alleyway.

"We promise!" Edward slapped her on the back, "We have a good friend on the force who managed to make it all go away."

"A friend?"

"If you ever get into trouble with the police, just ask for Sergeant Abberline. He's the best, I swear."

Evie nodded in understanding, and then they were off, running and jumping over the rooftops, making it a little competition of it.

And then Evie heard it… someone swearing very loudly in an alley nearby.

"Evie! What are you doing?!"

"I'll be right back!" she called back, nimbly jumping to the ground and heading towards the swearing, sticking to the shadows.

"Evie! Wait!"

Evie ignored them, continuing forwards until she realised that the cursing was coming from around the corner. Peering around said corner, she frowned at the sight of a large, balding man pinning a much younger man against the wall… who was the one cursing.

"What's the rush kid?" the larger man chuckled, "I thought we could have a little fun?"

"You're really not my type!" the younger man tried to explain, a sly smirk on his face and hands up in the air, "Not my type at all!"

"I. Don't. Care."

There was a brief moment of silence, before his right leg shot upwards into the baldie's bollocks. However, before he could dart to a safe distance, the other man grabbed him by the neck and pinned him back against the wall.

"You're lucky I like them fiery!" the man growled, tightening his grip as the younger man coughed slightly, "It's still going to hurt though."

Evie couldn't stay where she was any longer. Straightening up, she confidently strode around the corner and caught the man's attention.

"Leave him alone!"

The larger man twisted around to face her, a sneer on his face, which transformed into a leer, "Why…. You want a go as well darlin'?"

"Please Ma'am, don't get involved…" the younger man managed to force out, hands prying at the fingers wrapped around his throat, struggling against the grip, "… I can handle this!"

"…. You are the definition of damsel-in-distress right now."

The younger man cackled at the sly comment, "I-I'll give you that! I'm no damsel, but yeah, I'm in distress and I can handle it!"

Before Evie could say anything, the bald man suddenly lunged for her… and then fell to the ground, screaming at the pain of having a knife embedded in his shoulder.

"Ouch…" she muttered, bending down and removing the knife, wiping the blood off on her dark clothes, ignoring how the man continued to whimper.

With him down, Evie turned her attention to the 'damsel', frowning in concern as the young man rubbed at his sore throat.

He beamed at her, despite the obvious pain.

"My hero." He chuckled, "I mean, I could have handled it, but- "

"- You were being chocked, how were you handling it?"

The young man rolled his eyes, but the smirk was still there. "I would have handled it… eventually."

Before Evie could say anything in return, there was a growl from behind her as the bald man decided he wanted to go another round.

"Really?" she muttered under her breath, spinning around to face the man head-on as he charged at her. If her flips were a little showier than usual, then that was her own business.

The whoops and cheers from her team, who were watching from the rooftop, spurred her on.

Needless to say, the fight didn't last long, and the larger man fell to the ground in an unconscious slump.

As her team jumped to the ground, she couldn't help but smile proudly at them. "So… how did I do?"

"Don't get cocky." Ezio scolded, even though he looked very impressed, "And don't get distracted by some- "

Before Ezio could finish, Evie found her attention drawn to the man she'd just rescued, who was leaning against the wall, a small smirk on his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, walking over to him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Maybe we should get you to a Doctor Mister…."

"Just call me Jake, that's what my friends call me… or at least they would if I had any friends. What you did there, that was…" he stopped, smiling slightly in appreciation, "… that was really impressive Miss…"

"Evie. Evie Frye at your service." She bowed, unable to resist smiling herself.

"Miss Frye… I am in your debt."

She nodded in understanding, before glancing over to the fallen body of the man she'd just defeated. "So, why was he…. What did he want?"

Jake shrugged, "He thought no meant yes, and fuck off meant, take me I'm yours." He shuddered at the implications of the sentence, "I probably should have made a run for it sooner."

"Don't blame yourself…" Evie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "… it was his fault and his fault alone."

Before Jake could reply, Edward cleared his throat from the side-lines. "Not that this isn't touching… but we really need to get going Evie."

"I know…." She frowned in concern at Jake, "… do you need us to help you anywhere?"

Jake chuckled and shook his head, "Nah… thanks for the help Miss Frye, but I think I can handle it from here."

"Are you sure…. The boys won't mind if you tag along for a bit."

To give credit to them, the other four didn't seem to mind at all.

"Thanks, but no…" Jake gently punched her in the shoulder and smirked, "… I'm a big boy, can tie my own boots and everything." Without letting Evie say another word, he started to walk away, waving a hand over his shoulder, "See you around Miss Frye."

"Call me Evie!"

Jake just waved again, before disappearing around the corner.

"He was… something." Evie chuckled, turning back to the others.

"Yeah, a distraction…" Ezio rolled his eyes, even if he did find the younger man amusing, "… come on. We have work to do, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."


	4. Slight Setback

Watching as Evie and her friends walked away, Jake couldn't help but smile…. They all seemed nice. It made a nice change from the usual people he had to deal with.

At the realisation of what he would have to deal with soon, the smile fell from his face as he entered the theatre through the back.

"Hello?" He cautiously called out, "Mister Roth? Miss Thorne?"

There was the sound of someone chuckling from the shadows, before a hand grabbed him by the chin and turned his head to the left.

"My dear…." Roth smirked at him, grip loosening slightly as his fingers tapped Jake's cheek, "…. What happened? We expected you to recruit some men for the Templar movement and here you are… no-one else in sight."

"I tried! But they wanted… other things and I didn't want to do that!" Jake protested, "You told me I wasn't allowed to go too far with them!"

"So I did…." Roth released his grip on the chin, the hand moving to ruffle Jake's hair, before he patted the boy's cheek, "… what a good boy you are. So you fought the man off?"

"It wasn't me! It was this woman in a weird coat… Miss Evie Frye."

Lucy and Roth both glanced at each other in alarm.

"Are… are you sure about the name?" Lucy asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

"He probably heard it wrong." Roth dismissed, frowning as Jake immediately started to protest.

"It was Evie Frye! I promise I didn't hear wrong!"

Before Lucy and Roth could shut him down again, another, deeper voice was heard.

"How interesting…."

Everyone spun around as Starrick emerged from the shadows, a cruel glint in his eye as he grabbed Jake's arm and pulled him closer, not bothering to look at the younger man as he pushed him to one side.

"... a woman wearing an Assassin uniform, who goes by the name Evie Frye. What a coincidence, hmmmm?"

Lucy and Roth were completely silent, their faces growing a little pale.

"So, you took care of her?" Starrick hissed, his face twisting in anger, "Dead as a doornail, weren't those your EXACT WORDS?!"

"Jake probably just heard the- UGH!"

As Roth was slowly choked, Lucy tried to edge away, only for Starrick's hand to dart out as he grabbed her by the collar. Jake shrank back against the wall…. He'd had Starrick's wrath turned on him before and it was not a pleasant experience.

He did wonder what the big deal with Miss Frye was though.

"I…" Starrick began, frustration oozing out of his voice, "… am about to rearrange the cosmos and take full control of London, of England! And one of the people who can louse it up… is waltzing around ON THE ROOFTOPS!"

The heat in the room rose to an unbearable level for a few moments, until Starrick finally managed to calm down.

"W-we can interrupt her waltzing!" Roth spluttered, finally managing to pry Starrick's hand away from his throat as Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Indeed…. She is a mere mortal after all, just like little Jake here."

Starrick glanced over at Jake, who was still huddled against the wall, before sighing wearily. "Fortunately for you two, we have time to correct this rather egregious mistake… and this time, no foul-ups!"

…..

"How can one city, have a million different problems?" Evie mused as they watched the crowds from the shadows, "Are they all like this?"

"Pretty much." Ezio sighed, "I worked in Italy and it's very similar."

They watched as child pick-pockets took advantage of distracted members of the public, women in barely any clothing brushing up against men in fine coats, scraggly men holding out their hands for just a few coins, empty bottles beside them.

"C'mon…" Edward muttered, "… we need to set up some vantage points. Templar activity's been increasing for a few months now."

"Why?"

"…. We don't know…. But it can't be good."

….

Robberies at local banks that threatened to collapse the entire economy.

Flooding from the Thames that killed several poorer families that lived along there.

And then there was the rising gang activity.

From what Evie heard, she was almost expecting the ten plagues of Egypt next.

"This place needs more than us…" Ezio decided, "…. We're a small team, we might need the entire Creed at this point."

At Evie's audible sigh of disappointment, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, you'll get your chance to prove yourself…. We just need some kind of minor catastrophe or disaster. Nothing major, but enough to get the Council's attention."

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Speaking of catastrophes and disasters…" Connor muttered, as a familiar figure pushed through the crowd, panic written all over their face, until their eyes seemed to land directly on Evie.

"Miss Frye!"

Not seeming to care that she was meant to be hidden, Jake came rushing over, "You need to help!" he exclaimed, "One of the worker factories is burning down and there are still children trapped inside!"

Before Evie could say anything, Edward grabbed her arm and beamed, "Hear that…. This is the perfect opportunity! Children trapped in a burning building!"

"You lot are really choked up about this aren't ya?"

"C'mon! Lead the way!"

Jake yelped as his hand was grabbed by Connor, who lifted him into a fireman's lift, before clambering up to the rooftops.

"I'm really not sure I like THIS!"

…..

A crowd was already gathering around the burning building, alerted to the place by the smoke and the sounds of children screaming from inside.

As Jake moved away, disappearing into the crowd, Evie raced ahead of the others to where the door was… or meant to be…. It was nothing but a pile of burning wood and stone, with only tiny gaps.

"HELP!" they could hear someone screaming inside, "HELP, WE CAN'T BREATHE!"

"We're coming!" Evie couldn't help but call back, eyes already searching for a weak spot that she could enter through.

"HELP!"

There!

"Stay back!" she yelled as she spotted the weak spot. After a couple of seconds, giving any children the chance to move away, she gritted her teeth and kicked the wood in, sending embers flying everywhere, before she raced in.

A few tense minutes passed, before Evie burst back out, two children in her arms, and three more clinging onto her. As soon as they were out in the open air, the children scurried away, many crying out their thanks as they disappeared into the alleyways surrounding the burning building.

The crowd begrudgingly clapped.

"Jeepers Miss, you're really strong!" exclaimed one of the kids as they raced past, not giving Evie the chance to respond before they disappeared.

As the other members of her team congratulated her (not without scolding her for being a bit reckless of course), they all failed to notice the figures standing on the rooftops nearby.

"And you thought setting a workhouse alight was too…. Pedestrian for them." Roth mused, watching the flames of the still-burning building climb higher and higher, "Fantastic acting by the way my dear…. I was really moved. She fell for your charms perfectly."

Jake sent him a shy smile, before turning his attention back to the scene, ignoring how Roth and Lucy bickered behind him.

"Get out of there…" he whispered, despite knowing that they couldn't hear him, "…Get out of there whilst you still can."

Unaware of the pleading tone above them, the Assassin team re-grouped, a pleased smile on Evie's face. "I've scanned the building." She reported, "There's nobody left in there."

"It was a little… open." Ezio lightly scolded, remembering the clapping of the crowd, "But yeah… you did really well."

"She did amazingly!" Edward wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Didn't you hear that applause?"

Before anyone could say anything in reply, there was a long, loud growl that came from the burning building.

"I hate to break the news to you…. But I don't think that's clapping."


	5. Hydra

"I hate to break the news to you…. But I don't think that's clapping."

Red eyes glared at them from the darkness, as it slowly emerged from the burning building. It was a hideously huge creature, with leathery grey skin and yellow-stained teeth with spikes that ran up its' back and long, spindly neck.

"Ummm, guys…" Evie kept her eyes on the creature as she slowly backed away, "… what is that thing?"

"Who cares?!" Edward exclaimed, "Just run!"

But Evie knew that if they just ran, the creature would go straight for the innocent crowd.

"Evie, what are you doing?!"

She was standing her ground.

The creature growled again as the others came rushing over. In the distance, someone seemed to cry out, "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!" as the creature stepped closer.

"Shit, shit, shit…" she heard Ezio muttering under his breath, as they all danced around the creature, avoiding the sharp teeth that were determined to tear them apart, "… does anyone else remember the lessons that revolved around fighting giant monsters!"

"Sharks and whales yes. Things like this, no way!" Edward called out in answer, "EVIE! TO YOUR LEFT! TO YOUR LEFT!"

Evie dived away, wincing as the fangs skimmed her, ripping the arm of her jacket.

"YOUR OTHER LEFT!"

"Yeah, I got that!"

The creature reared back and roared, not even flinching as bullets and arrows were fired at it from all directions…. In fact, it seemed to find it funny.

"Is he laughing at us?!" Arno yelled, frustration in his voice, leaping to one side as the creature lunged for him, managing to trick it into lunging into a nearby building…. But it was too late.

Something wet and slimy wrapped around his left ankle and he was thrown up into the air, the creature ready to swallow him whole down below.

Thankfully, it never happened. Evie came flying out of nowhere and sliced the tongue in half with one hand, pulling Arno away with the other.

"Thank you…" Arno whispered, "… Does anyone actually have a plan?!"

Up above, Jake winced at the near miss, hand moving up to his own throat as the creature roared in pain, lunging forwards as its desperation grew.

Down below, the Assassins had managed to regroup.

"Okay…" Evie panted, "… I've done some thinking. It matches the description of a Hydra, from the old Greek myths. Which means, nobody should just chop it's head off…" Here, she glanced at Connor, who was the only one who really had the weapon to manage it, "… not unless anyone has any fire handy?"

"We have oil lamps…. And Arno tends to carry matches." Ezio piped up, "We can remove the head, cover the stump in oil and light it on fire before it- remind me what happens if we don't cauterize the neck?"

"It grows about three more heads."

"… Right. Let's avoid that." Ezio turned to Connor and Edward, "You two distract it as much as possible. Arno get your matches ready and Evie and I will get as much oil as we can!"

They split off, everyone going their separate way in order to make the plan work. With the Kenways' distracting the creature, everything went smoothly.

"NOW CONNOR!"

Knowing that the oil and fire was now ready, Connor kicked off from a nearby wall, using his axe to slice through the creature's neck. As soon as the head dropped to the floor, the oil was poured on the stump from above, just before a fire arrow flew through the air and flames fluttered in the breeze.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as everyone remained tense for a few minutes, waiting to see if anymore heads were going to pop out..

Nothing.

"I… can't believe that worked." Connor muttered, wiping the green blood off of his axe in disgust, "That was probably the craziest thing we've ever done."

"Are we not counting the incident in Venice?"

"I thought we agreed never to talk about that."

Before the Kenway's could really start to bicker, the sound of the crowd clapping rose in volume and intensity, with many civilians whooping and cheering, Thankfully, the assassins managed to get away, blending back into the shadows as the crowd surged forwards.

Even with their heroes gone, the crowd continued to cheer.

"I could get used to this." Edward muttered as they watched from the shadows, "I can't believe we actually managed to pull that off."

"Don't focus on that right now…" Ezio frowned, "… Hydra monsters aren't exactly common. We need to find out what's going on, before any more problems like that pop up."

As the Assassins huddled together, unseen by everyone but each other, Jake couldn't help but smirk from his vantage point, quietly clapping as the three Templars ranted and raged behind him.

"Way to go Miss Frye."

….

Things did go wrong, as Ezio predicted.

Monsters started popping up everywhere.

Giant boars, giant birds with sharp talons, ferocious lions with red eyes and fangs, fish creatures from the sea.

It wasn't hard to hear about the plays from the local schools and the school games played in the yard.

And now the mayor of the city was giving a speech to the 'mysterious heroes' who had done so much for them.

…..

High above the Town Hall, Starrick growled with every word that the mayor spoke.

"I can't believe this!" he growled, "I throw everything I've got at them and it doesn't even- "

And then he heard the chuckling.

"You think this is… funny?" he snarled at Roth, who didn't even look slightly phased.

"You don't?" Roth shrugged, "I think this is all quite entertaining."

Wrong answer.

"I've got twenty-four hours to get rid of Miss Frye, with her friends being a nice bonus… all before this entire scheme I've been setting up for eighteen years, goes up in smoke…AND YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!"

Starrick's hand was around Roth's throat, tightening as the skinnier man scrambled and cursed at the grip… and then he heard Lucy's muted laughter.

"…. AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Down below, the Assassins frowned, thinking's they'd heard something, before shrugging and turning their attention back to the mayor and his little speech.

Up top, Roth and Lucy limped away from a still furious Starrick, the laughter gone from their faces… although, he knew neither of them were particularly sorry about it.

Clearly amused as well (although smart enough not to show it), Jake pushed himself to his feet and headed over to the balcony that overlooked the Town Hall. "They're really hitting every curveball you throw at them, huh?"

There was a tense silence, before Starrick chuckled menacingly.

"Well maybe… maybe I'm not throwing the right curves at them."

Jake winced at this, twisting around and staring at the older man, "Miss Frye isn't really my type… at all."

"Listen to me Jake, Miss Frye has got to have a weakness because everyone had a weakness! For Pandora, it was the whole box thing, and for the Trojans, well they bet on the wrong house hmmm? We just need to find out what this weakness is!"

"Wouldn't Mister Roth and Miss Thorne be better at that?"

"Those lot can smell a Templar from a mile away, no…." Starrick shook his head, "… We need someone who can get close to them."

"Starrick, do you really think that's a good idea, I mean- "Roth stopped when Starrick held up a hand, a silent order for him to shut up and shut up immediately.

Jake thought Roth's reluctance was odd but didn't think any more of it, shaking his head and shuffling nervously from side to side. "I-I really don't think- "

"- I know you don't think. You don't have the brain capacity for that." Starrick smirked at the hurt look that flashed across Jake's face, "Just remember, that you belong to me and you'll do whatever I want."

"I-I-I- "

"How about I make a little deal with you…" Starrick continued, "… give me the key to bring down the Assassins, and then I'll give you want you desire most in the whole world. Your freedom!"

Starrick didn't even bother to hide his smirk as the young man inhaled sharply at the thought.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

….

"I hope you were watching Father." Evie struggled to contain her excitement as she faced her father, "I think we've faced every creature from the old geek myths and defeated them without much difficulty. Analyse the situation, gather up every ounce of strength and BAM!"

Edward pretended as though Evie had hit him, falling backwards into Connor's arms as the others chortled in glee.

"And as we vanish back into the shadows, the crowd goes wild!"

Ethan Frye was clearly pleased with this, clapping as Evie beamed at him. "Excellent work Evie, you're making me very proud. The Creed council definitely have their eyes on you."

"I'm glad you said that… I've waited for this day for a long time."

Ethan frowned, "What day is that?"

"The day I join you… in the Creed?"

"…. You've done wonderfully, you really have son… you're just not quite there yet, you've not proven yourself a true hero yet."

"What?" Evie could feel the anger bubbling up inside her, "I've beaten everything that's come across my path, I've succeeded at every mission!"

"Being successful isn't the same as being a true hero my girl."

"Well… what more do you want me to do?"

"That's something you'll just have to discover for yourself."

"But how can I- "

"- Look inside yourself. You'll find it."

Without giving Evie the chance to say anything, Ethan moved back into the shadows and was gone before she could react. With a scream of frustration, she slammed her fists against the floor of the old temple, barely reacting as they cracked under the force.

"Forget him…" she hissed, "… just forget him."


	6. Day Off

Ezio sighed wearily at the noise coming from the city down below.

Everything was tense now…. Ezio and his friends, with the exception of Evie, could easily go back to the Assassin Temple… but they chose not to, not until Evie was allowed as well.

Unfortunately, Evie had become disillusioned with the idea of being a true hero.

"Alright…" Arno was reading out the newspaper, "… the Mayor has had several horses stolen from his stables. Someone is claiming to have taken a photo of us… not likely but- "

"- What's the point of all this?"

The others all stopped what they were doing and turned to Evie, who was staring up at the sky, her eyes closed in thought.

"What do you mean, what's the point?" Edward asked, "You want to be with your Dad and everything, don't you?"

Wearily, Evie pushed herself into a seated position. "Yes but… none of this seems to be getting me anywhere."

"You can't just give up though!" Connor piped up.

"I'm not! I'm just… taking a break. Rethinking my chosen path."

Evie sounded so defeated, so unlike herself. Slowly, Ezio made his way over, joining the others as they all crowded around the woman.

"Evie, listen…" the Italian spoke up, "… can I be honest with you? You've got something, we've never seen before."

"…. Yeah?"

"I swear on my Mama's life… there is nothing you can't do!"

Before Evie could say anything else, there was a loud BOOM from further up the street, as smoke started to rise into the air.

"Let's go!" Ezio ordered, as they all leapt into action and started to head in that direction.

Well, almost all of them.

As she dropped down into a nearby alleyway, hoping to steal a carriage in case of casualties, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her further into the shadows. Seconds before she could pin whoever it was against the wall, a blade at their throat, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jake held up his hands near his face and smiled sheepishly at her, "It's just me!"

"Jake!" she hissed, "What are you doing?!"

The smile on his face transformed into a beaming grin, as he straightened up. "I wanted to see you. I feel like it's been forever!"

Evie couldn't help but smile fondly back, the current catastrophe moving to the back of her mind. "I've missed you too, but it's been a little busy recently."

"Yeah, it's been hard to miss everything that's been going on." Jake gently nudged her in the side, "Thank god for you lot, right?" He suddenly frowned at something on her face, some sort of expression on her face maybe. "No offence, but you looked tired. Think your friends would mind if you took one afternoon off?"

"I-I don't- "

"- Oh come on!" Jake pouted, eyes widening slightly, "Haven't you ever had fun? It's not going to kill you!"

She considered refusing again… until the voice of her Father came back.

It had been doing that a lot lately.

She had worked so hard to earn his approval and it had got her nowhere.

The other would be able to deal with the fire, just this once.

"Alright…" she sighed, "… lead the way."

…

Hours later, she was struggling to breath through her laughter, as her and Jake snuck into the local gardens.

"I've read almost all of Shakespeare's works…" she confessed, "… but on the stage, they're amazing. I don't think I laughed once when I read Twelfth Night, but that- the reveal scene, when she found out it was her brother all along! That was amazing!"

As Evie gushed about the play they'd seen, Jake just nodded along, ignoring the sensation of being watched.

"You know…" Evie turned to Jake and smiled softly at him, "… I think this has been the most fun I've had in, well forever. Thank you."

As she turned away, Jake winced. "Yeah… don't thank me just yet." As he went to follow her, he yelped as his foot slipped on the stairs, falling forwards towards the cobbled ground.

Thankfully, Evie was there, her strength managing to keep him upright.

"Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah… I-I just slipped." He forced a smile onto his face and nudged her in the side, "Some of us don't have fancy training you know." He then glanced down at his ankle and winced, "Does that look broken to you?"

"No, just sprained." Carefully she helped him towards a nearby bench, sitting him down and taking the spot next to him.

Once he was settled, Jake leaned over and nudged Evie in the side, "So…. Do you ever have problems like that?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know, sprained ankles. Shit like that. Weaknesses."

Evie thought to herself for a few moments, before shaking her head. "No, not that I can think of."

"None at all?" Trick knee? Slipped disc?"

Again, she shook her head. "No. Healthy as can be."

As she turned away, her attention caught by a passing animal, Jake rolled his eyes. "Miss Frye, you really are perfect."

"In every way."

Unable to stop himself from laughing at that, Jake leaned back against the bench, turning to face Evie who was laughing as well.

For the first time in his life, he felt comfortable… like some part of him that was missing, had come back.

Unknown to him, Evie was thinking the same thing

Up above them, a shooting star few through the sky, turning their attention away from one another and up to the sky.

"You know…" Evie cleared her throat primly, "… when I was a girl, I would have given anything to be like everyone else."

"You wanted to be petty and dishonest?" Jake muttered bitterly, pushing himself back to his feet and heading over to the nearby fountain.

"… Not everyone's like that."

"Yes, they are."

Slowly, Evie moved to stand by him, one hand on his shoulder in order to gently encourage him to look at her, "You're not like that."

"You don't know that!"

"I know that you're an amazing man… with weak ankles."

Jake couldn't help but smile at that, knowing that he was flushing slightly at the words. Nobody had ever said something so kind to him… nobody had ever really said anything nice to him at all, not without a sarcastic comment or a back-handed insult.

Or a creepy touch that made him think the words weren't exactly genuine.

"Jake…" Evie continued, her voice soft and low, "… when I'm with you, I don't feel so alone… I can't explain it."

"Sometimes it's better to be alone."

"What do you mean?"

"… Nobody can hurt you."

Evie was silent for a few moments, before she slowly reached over and grabbed Jake's hands. "I would never hurt you…. Ever."

"And I don't want to hurt you, so why don't we just go our separate ways and- "Suddenly, a bright light cut Jake off, as a set of familiar voices started calling out for them.

"There you are!" Ezio came rushing over, the others not far behind him, "We've been looking all over this city for you!"

"Sorry!" Jake immediately apologised, moving forwards to meet the group, "I just thought she needed to let loose a little bit!"

"Without us?" Edward smirked, "Rude."

"Ignore my cousin." Connor spoke up, "Evie, you left us when we really could have used your help. You need to come back with us so we can talk about it."

Evie looked ashamed, but nodded in agreement, turning back to Jake. "Sorry…" she apologised, one hand reaching up to brush hair away from his eyes, "… Hopefully, I'll see you soon."

As she ruffled his hair, Jake sheepishly grinned, neatening it out with his fingers.

"Evie, come on!" Edward groaned, "We need to get going!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Climbing onto the carriage that the others had ridden there, Evie didn't take her eyes off of Jake, even as the carriage sped away.

"Evie, pay attention! Keep your eyes on the front, you never know when there's going to be a low hanging branch or – UGH!"

Low hanging branch…. Just like Ezio had predicted.

And nobody even seemed to notice.

He'd be offended when he woke up.

….

Jake had never felt like this before… it wasn't full on love, but it was… something similar.

He couldn't put a name to it.

"What's the matter with me…" he grunted, fingers running through his hair, the phantom feeling of Evie doing the same still sending tingles through his skull, "…. She's a job remember? The only thing that's going to get you away from… everything."

Away from the beatings, the overt advances and everything else in his life.

Jake quickly turned his thoughts away from that, shaking his head as he walked through the gardens…. He wasn't interested in Evie like that, and yet, there was some kind of connection there, he could just feel it!

"Alright…" he whispered to himself, "… maybe I should just- "

"- Just what, Jake?"


	7. Chapter 7

"- Just what, Jake?"

Jake resisted the urge to gasp as he spun around, eyes wide at the sight of the three Templars behind him.

"Now Jake…" Starrick stepped forwards, "… What's the weak link in the Assassins chain? What makes Miss Evie weak?"

Suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of anger and courage, Jake cJacobched his fists and stepped forwards. "You know what…. Get yourself someone else to do your dirty work! I'm through!"

There was a brief moment of tense siJacobce, before Roth stepped forwards, a dangerous smirk on his face, "I beg your pardon?" he hissed, "We must have a little bit of gunk in our ears, because I could have sworn you said- "

"- Then read my lips! For-get it!"

"Jake!"

Before Jake could storm away, Starrick suddenly appeared in front of him, one hand darting out to grab his chin, forcing him to look Starrick on the eyes. "Jake… aren't we forgetting a teensy-wincey, ever so crucial, little tiny detail? I OWN YOU!"

…..

"Ah…" Ezio groaned as he slowly came to, "…my head!"

"… if I say sing, you say name that tune."

Ezio frowned at the vaguely familiar voice, peeking his head around the corner and frowning at the sight of Jake surrounded by three very well-known Templars.

"If I say I want Miss Frye's head on a platter, you say…"

"… Medium or well-done."

Ezio knew his face had gone pale as he darted back, "Trouble… with a capital tea, I knew it." He whispered frantically, "This is going to break Evie."

Without hearing the rest of the conversation, he raced off, heading back towards the Assassin base.

….

"You hear that?" Roth whispered, pulling Jake closer, "That's the sound of your freedom, fluttering out of the window… forever."

Wrenching himself free, only to back right into Lucy, Jake shook his head desperately, "I don't care! I'm not going to help you hurt them!"

As he turned his back on them, he heard Starrick sigh wearily. "I can't believe you're getting so worked up over these people! I thought we raised you better than night!"

"Well… I trust them, alright! I trust them more than you!"

"Ha!"

"They would never do anything to hurt me! Not like you lot!"

"Naïve little bastard!"

"Besides…" Jake couldn't help but smirk, straightening up as his confidence started to grow, "… they have no weaknesses! You can't beat them! They're going to- " He stopped as he turned around, flinching as he realised Starrick and the other two were much closer then what he expected.

"I think they do…" The Templar Grandmaster hissed, a smirk on his face, "… I think Miss Frye truly does."

He plucked a flower from the grass, and at his simple touch, the flower withered and died.

The meaning was clear.

…..

Ezio didn't know how long he stood there, watching Evie run circles around the others in the training course, a beaming grin on her face.

He almost didn't want to tell her.

"Hey Ezio!" Edward called out, catching everyone's attention as they all rushed over, "Where'd you go?"

Ezio ignored him, turning to Evie, "Ummm, I think we need to talk."

However, Evie didn't appear to be listening, the beaming grin still on her face, "I've just had the best day of my life…" she stated, "… I know what I did was wrong, but- "

"- It's not about that. Calm down and- "

"- Calm down? How can I calm down when I'm feeling so up?!"

As Ezio and Evie continued to try and speak over one another, Edward, Arno and Connor watched in bemusement… until they heard something behind them.

Ezio and Evie didn't react at all.

Slowly turning around, their eyes widened at the sight of the figures standing in the entrance to the training area. A gorgeous African-American woman dressed in 18th century fashion, a woman dressed in pirate gear and a gorgeous red-head with a wicked smirk.

Slowly, the three of them made their way over, almost in a daze as the three women started to back away, heading into a separate room away from the main training area. However, as soon as the door shut behind him, the women's faces twisted horribly as they morphed into grotesque forms.

" What the- "

"GOTCHA!"

….

"Fine, fine, fine!" Ezio groaned, "But I really need to talk to you!"

Evie just beamed, sauntering over, "Just think, if it wasn't for you guys, I would never have met him!"

"Evie- "

"- I owe you for this."

"Evie, you need to listen! Jake's- "

"- brilliant?"

"Not exactly, he's- "

"- wonderful?"

"A fraud! He's a fraud!"

Evie stopped in her tracks at Ezio's almost scream, stunned as her friend continued.

"He's been playing with you since day one!"

"…. That's not funny."

"I'm not joking!"

"I know you're upset about today, but you can't just- "

"- you're not listening Evie!"

Evie rolled her eyes, "Look, I don't know what it is, but there is something between us! I-I can't explain it!"

"He's manipulating you!"

"You're just… jealous or something!"

"He's nothing but a back-stabbing- "

"- Shut up – "

"- no good, lying, scheming – "

"SHUT UP!" Evie snapped, pushing Ezio away. Unfortunately, she under-estimated her own strength and sent the older assassin flying backwards, landing in a pile of training equipment.

"Ezio…" Evie whispered, suddenly realising what she'd done, "… Ezio, I'm sorry."

"Alright…" Ezio pushed himself to his feet and turned away from her, "… you don't want to listen to the truth? Fine! Possa Dio avere pietà della tua anima!"

"Ezio? Where are you going?!"

"Back to the Creed…. Where I belong." A special emphasis was placed on the "I", which made Evie glare at the retreating back.

"Alright, fine!" She yelled after him, "Go! I don't need you guys anyway!"

As she turned her attention back to training, she failed to hear Ezio's last words.

"I honestly thought you were going to be the best of us."

As the door slammed shut, a slightly familiar voice spoke up from the shadows.

"Well… that was entertaining."

Spinning around, Evie watched as three shadowy figures stepped into the light and started to walk towards her.

"Call me Starrick." The leader held out his hand, which Evie only sneered at.

"Leave me alone." She hissed, turning away, only to take a step back when Starrick reappeared in front of her.

"This won't take long, only a few seconds, and I can be a fast talker. You see, we've got this major deal in the works, let's call it a takeover venture if you won't. And Evie, you are always in the way."

"Good."

As she tried to leave the scene, she was suddenly grabbed and twisted around, so that she was looking Starrick straight in the eyes.

"WHY YOU- " The glow disappeared, and Starrick audibly took a breath, "- Hear me out, okay? I would be eternally grateful if you would just… take the day off from this Assassin business of yours? You've earned a break, right?"

"You're crazy!" She pulled away from the Templars and tried to walk away again, growling when she was grabbed again.

"Before you walk away, we have a little bit of leverage you might want to know about." Starrick clicked his fingers and Jake appeared out of nowhere, fresh bruises on his face.

"Jake!"

"Evie! Don't listen- "He was gagged as chains wrapped around his entire body, falling to the floor and disappearing before Evie could get to him.

"LET HIM GO!" Evie growled, lunging at Starrick, only to go right through him.

"Here's the deal…" Starrick acted like Evie hadn't even moved, "… you give up your Assassin abilities for twenty-four hours, let's say, the next twenty-four hours…" He clicked his fingers again and a gagged Jake appeared somewhere else, "… and Jake will be free."

Evie glanced over at Jake, before turning her attention back to Starrick, "People are going to get hurt, aren't they?"

"…. It's a possibility, these things happen, war and all… But what do you owe these people anway?!" Starrick moved over to Jake, gripping his face tightly and forcing him to look at Evie, "Haven't you wondered why you two bonded so quickly? Why it feels like he's your other half?"

Evie slowly nodded, "Yes?"

"I'm sure your Father mentioned your twin… Jacob?"

It was like being hit by lightning.

"Poor little Jakey…" Starrick sighed, "… I bet he would have killed to have powers like yours. Maybe they would have helped, hmm Jakey. Or would you prefer Jacob now?" His grip on Jacob's face tightened and the younger man whimpered in pain.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Evie begged, "If I do this… you've got to swear that he'll be safe from any harm!"

"Fine, fine, fine…" Starrick smirked, "… I'll give you that one. Your brother will be safe, and if he does get hurt in the next twenty-four hours, then all your powers will be returned to you. Shall we shake on it?"

Evie hesitated

"Look…" Starrick snarled, "… We really don't have time for this, we're on a bit of a schedule here and everything, so I need an answer NOW! Going once…"

Evie glanced at her brother, who shook his head frantically.

"… Going twice…"

"Okay! Okay!" Evie finally gave in, holding out her hand as Starrick smirked in triumph.

"ExcelJacobt! We're in business!"

Starrick clasped Evie's hand tight, beaming as a bright light filled the air and Evie started to fall to her knees.

Evie, meanwhile, felt like her very life was being sucked from her body, her bones seeming to turn into jelly as she collapsed to the ground weakly. As she tried to get to her feet, Evie winced as her knees wobbled dangerously underneath her, Roth and Lucy smirking on either side of her.

"You may feel a little queasy, it's perfectly natural…" Starrick lifted one of the heaviest weights into the air, "… maybe you should SIT DOWN!"

He flung the weights at Evie, chuckled as they propelled her to the ground, preventing her from getting to her feet. She strained and pushed at the weights, desperately trying to dislodge them as Starrick strode closer.

"There you go…" the Monster sneered, "… now you're just like everybody else. Isn't it just peachy?" There was a pause, before Starrick chuckled menacingly, "Oh, you're going to love this, one moment…." He got to his feet and turned his attention to the imprisoned Jacob, "… Jackey, a deal's a deal. You're off the hook."

With a snap of his fingers, the chains around Jacob disappeared as Evie slowly wriggled free of the weights.

"What do you think my dear…" Starrick chuckled, pulling Jacob closer and twirling him around, "… is he not the best actor you've ever seen?"

"Get off me!"

Evie frowned, watching as Jacob tried to pull himself free…. Something was wrong.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, your precious little brother was working for us the whole time."


	8. Chapter 8

"I mean, your precious little brother was working for us the whole time."

Evie stared at the man in shock, taking several steps back as she shook her head in denial, "No… you're lying!" She whispered, before turning her attention to Jacob, who looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

She knew this was all too good to be true.

"Evie, please- "

She shook her head, cutting him off as she took one step back. Jacob winced, hand reaching out as Evie turned away from him.

"How awkward." Starrick sighed, creating a carriage out of thin air, which Roth and Thorne climbed into, "Well, we have to go. There's a whole cosmos waiting for me up there, with my name on it! Goodbye to the preliminaries and off to the main event!"

After the Templars shot off, the twins dropped to their knees in unison.

It was over… it was all over.

….

Up in the sky, the planets all aligned, sending a burst of cosmic energy straight down to the earth, causing a large whirlpool in the ocean.

Starrick stood in the doorway of the carriage, peering into the void left by the energy to see bars made of lightning and eyes peering through them, roars and shrieks echoing throughout the area.

"BROTHERS!" He called down, "TITANS! LOOK AT YOU IN YOUR PRISON! WHO PUT YOU DOWN THERE?!"

"ASSASSINS!"

Roth and Thorne glanced at each at the deep, rumbling voices from down below.

"AND NOW THAT I SET YOU FREE!" Red lightning shot down, prying the bars apart, "WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU ARE GOING TO DO?!"

"DESTORY HIM!"

"… Good answer."

One by one, the Titans emerged from their prison.

One made of rocks and boulders, eventually taking on the form of an old man, dressed in the Assassin uniform. "CRUSH THEM!"

One made if snow and ice, the ice melting away to revel colourful clothes of silk and velvet, "FREEZE THEM!"

One made of molten lava, that morphed until it was dressed like it was the American Civil War, "MELT… HIM!"

And finally, one that was a giant tornado, that changed its clothes into something from the French Revolution, "BLOW… HIM…. AWAY!"

As the Templars of old slowly moved towards the city, Starrick sighed wearily. "Ahem!"

They all turned to

As the Titans slowly moved towards the city, destroying everything in their path, Hades face-palmed in despair.

"Guys!"

They all turned to face him, as he gestured in the opposite direction they were going.

"The Creed Headquarters would be that way."

As the Templars sheepishly turned and headed in the right direction, Starrick turned to Roth. "Get every Blighter you have together. I have a special job for them."

…..

Giovanni Auditore da Firenze groaned at the loud rumbling that seemed to echo through the Creed, slowly removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, tearing them away from the books.

"DESTROY THEM!"

"Dio mio!" Giovanni exclaimed in alarm, leaping to his feet in complete panic, "We're in trouble! So much trouble!"

He ran out of his office, to where the rest of the Creed Council were currently having dinner. "We have a problem!" He announced, catching everyone's attention, "The Templar Masters of old have escaped and they're practically knocking on the front door!"

"SOUND THE ALARM!" Bellowed Altair, "LAUNCH AN IMMEDIATE COUNTER-ATTACK! GO! GO!"

"Understood!"

Everyone leapt into action, the most experienced archers moving to the front to try and hold the Templars off. For a moment, it looked like they might have the upper hand, only for a tornado to appear out of nowhere, sucking the assassins into it.

…

Meanwhile, back in the city;

"Come on pretty girl! Let's go and play!"

The large crowd of Blighters ransacked buildings and smashed windows, harassing the citizens as they moved through the streets.

Evie watched from the rooftops, frowning as the gang searched for her. When she moved to head down to the streets, Jacob suddenly darted in front of her, eyes wide in concern.

"What are you doing?!" He asked, "Without all those Assassin powers, they'll kill you!"

"Somehow, I just don't care anymore." Evie shouldered past him, her words saying it all.

"Evie, no! Stop!"

Evie ignored him, moving down to the streets, waiting for them to notice her. When they did, they all crowded around her, the leader taking a step forward. "So, you're this mighty Assassin who's been killing all my men?"

Silence.

She didn't even make a sound as she was backhanded across the face, stumbling against the wall in her weakened state.

Jacob watched in alarm, racing back to the training area in the hope that he could find something that could help, anything! He threw open the doors to, what he hoped was, the weapons cupboard, only to yelp at the sight of three, chained-up up men.

"Well… you'll do in terms of weapons!" He raced over, pulling some lockpicks out of his pocket and fumbling with the locks, "Evie's in trouble, and she needs our help. I don't know where the Italian one is, but we need him. He's the only one who can talk sense into her!"

….

The Templars were getting closer and closer to the gates of the Creed Headquarters.

"GET BACK! STAY BACK!" Altair boomed, firing another bullet at the closest Templar, the man he'd once called his Master, frowning when the attacks had no effect. The gates crumpled under the force of some unseen power, allowing the Templars access.

…

Ezio winced as the cold wind blasted against his face. The weather had suddenly changed dramatically, which was never a good sign, meaning that he had to get back to the Creed Headquarters as quickly as possible.

It wasn't safe to travel across the rooftops when the weather was like this, so instead, he battled through the panicking crowds, hoping that nothing worse happened.

"Ezio! Ezio!"

Frowning at the voice, he spun around to see Conner, Arno and Edward racing towards him, closely followed by… him.

"What's he doing here?!" Ezio glared at Jacob, who flinched and hung back slightly, before shaking his head and looking Ezio right in the eyes.

"Evie needs your help!"

"And? She has you now doesn't she?"

"She won't listen to me!"

"Good! She's finally learnt something!"

Before Ezio could try and leave again, Conner gave him a disappointed look… it was like Ezio's one weakness. He was already the tallest man in the creed, did he really need another way to make Ezio feel two inches tall?

"Look!" Jacob growled, "I know what I did was wrong, but I honestly had no choice! I'm fucking kicking myself for it, trust me! But it's not about me, it's about her and if you don't help her now, she'll die!"

….

"I NEED MORE AMMO!"

"We don't have anymore ammo! Everyone's been captured! Even I've been captured!"

As he watched the other Assassin leaders being dragged away, Altair spun around, only to come face to face with one of the Templars who spewed lava all over him, another Templar freezing it as it got harder and harder to get out of.

"Grandmaster Altair! So nice of you to welcome us into your home."

Altair glanced up to his right in shock, eyes widened at the sight of Starrick standing above him. "You!" He growled, "You're behind this!"

"Who else?"

….

Evie grunted and groaned as the Blighters treated her like a punching target, throwing her into brick walls and other solid objects, hitting, kicking and throwing her again without giving her the chance to catch her breath.

And it was all funny to them.

"Evie!" She heard a familiar voice from above, causing her to glance up and sigh in relief as she was encircled by all of her friends.

"Connor? Ezio, Edward, Arno?!"

"Evie!" Ezio knelt next to Evie and rushed over, "Come on Evie, you can take these lot, we've tackled worse in training!"

"Y-you were right all along." Evie whispered, glancing over at her brother, who was wringing his hands together, "Dreams are for fools."

"No, no, no!" Ezio hissed, "I was wrong, I was totally wrong, and you need to get up and fight!"

"We can totally handle these- AAH!" Edward ducked as one of the Blighters' swung at him, "Careful! That thing's sharp!"

When Ezio handed her a sword, it was like a light switched back on in Evie's mind. With a feral cry, she dived forwards, slashing and stabbing where she could, releasing the days frustrations in the fight.

She had a mystery twin who she'd been separated from.

She still wasn't anywhere close to becoming a true assassin.

She'd given up her powers to save her brother.

Her brother had been working for the Templars all along.

"The Templars have dynamite!" Connor suddenly cried out, and everyone dived for cover, shielding themselves from the rubble that fell from the sky.

When the dust cleared, Evie dived back into the fight, unaware that she was still in mortal danger.

"EVIE!"


	9. Chapter 9

"EVIE! EVIE, LOOK OUT!"

There was a rumbling from above, before Evie felt someone shove her violently, sending her rolling across the ground, just as something hit the space where she once was. Spinning around, Evie felt the air leave her body as she spotted a familiar hand sticking out from under a pile of rubble.

"JACOB! NO!" She screamed in desperation, rushing over and removing as many bricks and beams as she could, the others joining in to help.

And then she reached one that was around ten times her own weight.

Not even thinking about asking the others to help, she gripped the edges of the wood, lifting it up as much as she could. As she did so, it felt like her skin was knitting back together, the aches and pains disappearing as she managed to lift the offending beam high above her head, gaping in relief.

"What's happening?"

Jacob smiled weakly up at her, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth… and a pipe sticking out of his mid-section. "Starrick made a p-p-p-promise, remember?" He gasped, eyes widening slightly in panic, as Conner and Ezio tried to stem the bleeding and keep him awake.

"He promised that Jacob wouldn't get hurt." Edward just stared down at the injured man, eyes wide in shock, "If he did… then you'd get your powers back."

"Jacob…" Evie fell to her knees beside her brother, gently lifting his head onto her lap, as she tried to avoid the nudging the pipe, "… Oh, Jacob. Why?! W-why would you- "

"- H-had to protect my s-s-sister, right?" Before Evie could say anything, Jacob spoke up again, "Y-You don't have m-much time, y-you can s-still stop S-Starrick!"

Edward then moved to sit by him, giving Evie a reassuring smile, "I'll look after him, you guys go."

They all knew it was a promise to be there for Jacob when he did go, but none of them were willing to say that out loud.

"You're going to be alright Jacob…" Evie whispered, almost desperately, "… Promise me?"

Jacob simply stared up at her, a soft smile on his face as he nodded, despite knowing the truth.

Not wanting to hear any false promises, Evie joined Arno, Ezio, and Connor, running to hi-jack a carriage and get to the Temple.

The Templars needed to be stopped.

…..

Altair tried to struggle as he was chained to the chair in the middle of the room, his fellow council members on their knees before him.

"I swear…" He glared, staring up at Starrick, "… When we get out of this, we- "

"- We're the ones giving the orders now." Starrick cut him off, "And I think the Templars are going to like it here."

Suddenly, a knife came out of nowhere, pinning Starrick's sleeve to the wall.

"Don't get too comfortable Starrick!"

Starrick spun around and sword violently at the sight of the young Assassins entering the room, many of them already freeing the trapped Council members. When he realised this, Starrick screamed in anger and frustration.

"GET THEM!"

Dodging every blow, Evie made her way over to where Altair was being held, easily breaking the chains and setting the Assassin Grandmaster free…. Who pulled a golden orb from the inside of his robes.

The Templars caught sight of this orb… and started to run.

"GET BACK HERE! GET BACK HERE!"

…..

The Assassins all cheered as they watched the Templars disappear, Evie sighing in relief at the sight… until she heard Starrick's voice.

"Thank you, Miss Frye!" He sounded furious, "At least I've got one, small consolation prize! Your brother is just dying to see me again!"

Evie, who was intent on chasing after him, stopped in her tracks, eyes widening in realisation, "Jacob!"

…..

Jacob groaned and winced in pain, his breaths coming in shorter and faster… unaware of what was happening far below the earth.

A string was being drawn taunt.

….

Evie knew she was pushing this horse to the limit, but she had to get back to the city.

….

Sharp scissors were brought closer to the taunt string.

…

Almost there, she was almost there!

…..

The scissors closed, and the string was cut.

Down below, Jacob's hand went limp in Edward's grip, just as Evie arrived.

"Jacob!" She cried out, taking a step back at the devastated look on Edward's face when he turned to look at her.

"Evie, I'm sor- "

"- No!" She rushed over to kneel by her twin's side, "Jacob, oh god, please no!" She begged, pulling Jacob's head into her lap. When there was no response, her shoulders started to shake, and tears made their way down her cheeks as she pulled her twin into a hug.

Almost five minutes passed in complete silence, broken only by the sound of Evie sobbing… Edward wasn't doing much better.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, kneeling by Evie's side, "… there are just some things you can't change."

Immediately, Evie's entire posture changed. Slowly, she lowered Jacob back down to the ground and pushed herself to her feet.

"Yes… I can."

….

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Lucy and Roth ducked for cover as shadows crept all along the wall, cracking the stone under the force of the anger Starrick was showing.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" He screamed, "So close! We tripped at the final hurdle, and why? Because our pet just had to get all noble!"

Suddenly, his chamber stated to shake violently, rubble dropping down to the ground. Seconds later, the stone wall exploded, and Evie came storming through the shattered door.

"Where's. Jacob." She growled.

"… What makes you think we have him?"

Evie had him by the throat in seconds, "Give. Him. Back."

"Get a grip Miss Frye." Starrick sounded amused, prying Evie's fingers away from him, "Come on, why don't I show you around."

Slowly, he led Evie to a stone ledge, that over-looked a green, swirling pool… made up of the souls of people. "Small underworld, right?"

As she stared into the green pool a familiar face caught Evie's attention. "JACOB!" She knelt and tried to grab the soul floating past, only to yelp in pain and pull her hands back, wincing at the sight of them being all wrinkled and aching.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Starrick shook his head, "Not for touching my dear. You see, Jake's running with a new crowd nowadays and not a very lively one."

Silence.

A few moments passed, before Evie turned to Starrick. "You like making deals, right? Take me in his place."

Starrick seemed a little stunned by the statement, as Evie straightened up.

"Going once! Going twice!"

Starrick held up his hands, "Alright, alright, alright! You get him out, he goes… you stay."

Without another word, Evie dived into the pool, desperately swimming to where Jacob was floating.

Of course, with the speed that she dived in, she missed what Starrick said to Lucy and Roth.

"You know what just slipped my mind… she'll be dead before she can reach him. I hope that won't be a problem."

In the pool, Evie could feel herself aging, her bones stiffer and stiffer and her skin wrinkling under her eyes.

…..

The string was pulled taunt, and scissors edged closer.

…..

She was so close!

She could almost touch him!

Just a few more seconds!

….

The scissor blade snapped together…. But the string didn't cut.

Instead, it glowed a shining gold colour.

"What's the matter with these scissors?!"

"The thread won't cut!"

…

Starrick felt like he was going to be sick as he watched a glowing, golden hand reach up to the ledge and grab it, muscles tensing as Evie pulled herself up onto the ledge, Jacob's soul cradled in her arms.

"Th-that can't be possible!" he found himself stammering, "Y-You can't be alive, that would make you a-a-a- "

"- An assassin?" Both Roth and Lucy finished at the same time, as Evie stood up tall, her entire body glowing, illuminating the dark cavern.

"AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" Starrick screamed in anger and frustration, "You can't DO this to me! You just- "

A fist came out of nowhere, striking him in the face and cutting him off as Evie casually strode past.

Recovering, Starrick rushed to stop her, "Miss Frye, can we talk? This has all been one big misunderstanding and- "

Evie didn't even let him finish, hitting him again, this time sending him flying into the green pool of souls.

"GET OFF ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR SLIMY SOULS OFF OF ME!"

Up on the ledge, Roth and Lucy were watching pensively.

"He's not going to be happy when he gets out of there." Lucy mused.

"…. You mean if he gets out of there."

A smirk spread across her face, "If… If is good."

…..

Getting home was easier.

Slowly, without taking her eyes off Jacob's soul, Evie knelt by the broken and battered body of her brother, ignoring the shocked gasps of the others as she gently placed the soul back into the body.

The change was instant.

With a loud gasp, the wounds of Jacob's body disappeared and his back arched, like he'd received an electric shock right through his spine as the colour returned to his skin. When his eyes finally opened, they landed on Evie and narrowed in confusion.

"Evie? What- Why did you- "

Slowly, Evie helped him to his feet and pulled him closer, "You're my little brother. Aren't I supposed to protect you?"

"We're the same age!"

"You're still younger!"

"Alright you two." Ezio sighed, "Break it up. We have somewhere better to be."

…

The entire Creed seemed to be there as they made their way into the Council room, where the Masters' all got to their feet, clapping as the group gathered in the centre.

"Evie."

Still in awe of it all, Evie barely heard her name. It wasn't until Edward pushed her forwards, that she even realised that she was being spoken to.

Her Father met her halfway, placing two hands on her shoulders

"I am so proud of you."

Evie couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face, "Thank you… Father."

"You've done it… you're a true assassin." Her Father continued, "You were willing to give your life to save this young ma- " He stopped in the idle of his sentence, eyes wide as he stared at Jake, "Jacob?"

Nervously, Jacob waved at the older man, only to yelp as he too was brought into a hug.

"You're home… you're both home."


End file.
